6. Unique Guests

For 27 seasons, The Jerry Springer Show featured an endless parade of guests who hoped to get a few minutes of fame. This suave (and definitely French) character claimed his name is “Mr. Ooh La La.” Skip to 1:06 to hear just how he wants to be called.

5. Controversial Topics

Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati, transitioned to broadcasting and created The Jerry Springer Show in 1991. It rose to popularity in the mid-’90s with controversial topics that other talk shows wouldn’t cover, with good reason. Often the episode titles like “I Married a Horse” were just as hilarious as the episodes themselves.

Here’s a clip of an episode titled, “Married To Your Dad, But Want You Back”

4. Fights

The controversial topics and drive for ratings often led to fights between the guests. The popularity of fights eventually elevated the head of security Steve Wilkos to hosting his own show.

Here’s a compilation of Springer’s best fights, including an all-out brawl between Klan members at 2:20.

3. Transgender Reveals

A frequent topic of the show was guests revealing to their lover that they were transgender. Sadly, those were usually received how everything else on the show was received, with fighting and hair pulling. Looking back at many of the clips, they harken back to a time when our society was less accepting of the LGBTQ community. Here’s one reveal that went oddly well.

2. Audience Interactions

The Jerry Springer Show would be nothing without its fans piling into the studio day after day to chant, “Jerry! Jerry!” Frequently, the audience was asked to weigh in on the quarrels between the guests, an act that devolved into a roast.

Some audience interactions left Springer blushing, even after years of filming.

1. Final Thought

Springer would end the episodes with a thoughtful relic of his journalistic past, his “Final Thought.” During his 25th anniversary show, Springer fought back tears as he looked back at his show and the people who made it.